‎‎After Bisola and I left our classroom, we headed to the school cafeteria to meet up with our friends.

‎The cafeteria was unusually full today. Long tables and chairs were arranged in neat rows, and today's Wednesday menu—beans and bread—was already being served.

‎"Sola!"

‎Our gazes shifted to the owner of the voice.

‎Adaeze.

‎The Class President of SS1 Art.

‎A sweet soul... or at least that's what everyone thought. She always wore a warm smile, but she wasn't fooling me. I'd seen the way she treated her classmates and juniors, ordering them around as if they were beneath her.

‎A master manipulator.

‎I'll give her that.

‎Seated beside her was her best friend, Joy.

‎Joy was cheerful—almost too cheerful. She literally glowed wherever she went. Maybe it was her personality...

‎Or maybe it was just the amount of Vaseline she rubbed on her skin.

‎Kuti sat beside her boyfriend, Matthew. She waved at me, and I returned the gesture with a smile.

‎I did everything in my power to avoid meeting Felix's eyes.

‎Everybody loved Felix.

‎And I mean everybody.

‎Especially the girls.

‎From the rumours I'd heard when I first arrived, he was the school's biggest player. Apparently, he'd dated—or slept with—more girls than anyone could count.

‎At first, I was shocked.

‎This was supposed to be a Catholic mission school.

‎But after only a few days, I understood.

‎The whole "holy school" image was nothing more than a cover.

‎Nobody cared if they were making out beneath the Virgin Mary's statue in the hallway.

‎The only time everyone suddenly remembered they were students of a mission school was when a lookout announced that a teacher was coming.

‎Has Felix ever asked me out?

‎Yes.

‎Did I accept?

‎No.

‎Did that stop him from trying?

‎Not even close.

‎He kept throwing glances my way, acting like the perfect boyfriend straight out of a Wattpad novel.

‎Personally...

‎I found it pathetic.

‎After collecting our food, Bisola and I joined the others.

‎I deliberately sat between Sola and Kuti, ignoring the empty seat Felix kept tapping for me.

‎A few minutes into our meal, the ringing of the school bell echoed through the cafeteria.

‎The sound made my heart skip.

‎Flashbacks of how it all started rushed through my mind.

‎It had all begun during the early morning mass.

‎At exactly 3:00 a.m., the bell rang, signalling the start of the service.

‎Our hostel prefect woke everyone up, and within minutes, girls were climbing down from their bunks and rushing to get ready.

‎Being late meant missing breakfast—and earning a punishment on top of that.

‎I jumped down from the top bunk and joined Sola as we headed for the bathroom.

‎While we waited for our turn, a commotion suddenly broke out inside.

‎"Beat her! She no dey hear word!"

‎Rosay.

‎Our hostel's resident "ghetto girl."

‎People avoided provoking Rosay because she came from one of the rougher parts of Lagos, and she wasn't afraid of a fight.

‎Still...

‎She could be surprisingly sweet when she wanted to be.

‎"Leave me alone! I didn't do anything!" another girl's voice cried from inside.

‎Sola nudged me.

‎"I have a feeling I know what this is about."

‎I looked at her curiously.

‎She grinned.

‎"Whoever guesses correctly gets half of the other person's breakfast."

‎I laughed.

‎"Deal."

‎"Three..."

‎"Two..."

‎"One..."

‎"Go!"

‎"Felix," Sola answered immediately.

‎"Bucket of water," I said at the same time.

‎She burst into laughter.

‎"How can they be fighting over a bucket of water?"

‎She laughed so hard she had to hold her stomach.

‎"Oya, let's go and see."

‎I laughed too, though secretly I hoped I was right.

‎Not because I hated sharing...

‎I just hated losing.

‎"I fetched water and kept it beside my bunk. You used it last night. You didn't think you would refill it before morning?"

‎The angry voice belonged to Chidinma.

‎I turned to Bisola with a satisfied smile.

‎"Told you."

‎She rolled her eyes.

‎"Doesn't mean I'm sharing my food with you."

‎We both laughed as we carried our buckets outside to fill them.

*****

The church was unusually quiet.

‎The only sounds were the priest's steady voice and the occasional rustle of pages as students flipped through their prayer books.

‎Then—

‎The church bell rang.

‎Once.

‎Everyone looked up in confusion.

‎The priest paused briefly before continuing the prayer.

‎A male teacher hurried outside to check who was bold enough to ring the bell in the middle of Mass.

‎A few moments later, he returned.

‎Something about him had changed.

‎He walked back to his seat without saying a word, then gave the other teachers a slight shake of his head.

‎Whatever he'd seen...

‎It wasn't good.

‎The priest continued praying, trying to ignore the interruption.

‎Just as he was about to conclude, the bell rang again.

‎Whispers spread across the church.

‎The bell wasn't supposed to ring until Mass was over.

‎"What's going on?" Sola whispered from beside me.

‎I opened one eye and glanced at her.

‎She was already looking at me with one eye open too.

‎I couldn't help smiling.

‎"How am I supposed to know?" I whispered back. "Aren't you sitting in the same church as I am?"

‎She let out a quiet chuckle before lowering her head again.

‎Then...

‎The bell started ringing continuously.

‎Louder.

‎Faster.

‎The priest stopped praying altogether and stepped away from the altar.

‎Our principal walked over to the male teacher who had gone outside earlier.

‎They whispered urgently among themselves.

‎I glanced at my wristwatch.

‎3:59 a.m.

‎The second hand moved.

‎4:00 a.m.

‎A violent coughing fit shattered the silence.

‎Everyone turned toward the front pews.

‎The male teacher doubled over, clutching his throat as if he couldn't breathe.

‎His face began turning red.

‎Teachers rushed to his side while panicked whispers swept through the church.

‎"Call the school nurse!"

‎"You all should return to your hostels and get ready for classes."

‎The principal's voice echoed through the microphone.

‎"There's nothing to worry about."

‎Nothing to worry about?

‎The words felt hollow.

‎Still, most students obeyed and began filing out of the church. Others lingered, whispering among themselves, too curious—or too frightened—to leave.

‎Sola and I exchanged a glance before joining the crowd.

‎We had barely reached the church entrance when someone screamed.

‎A girl collapsed onto the floor.

‎Her entire body began to convulse violently.

‎Teachers rushed toward her, but before anyone could reach her...

‎She slowly lifted off the ground.

‎Gasps rippled through the church.

‎Students near the entrance bolted outside, while the rest of us stumbled backwards in horror.

‎Nobody moved.

‎Nobody breathed.

‎Her body twisted.

‎First her ankle.

‎A sickening crack echoed through the church.

‎Then her leg.

‎Another crack.

‎Her waist bent at an impossible angle.

‎She screamed.

‎A scream so raw it sent chills racing down my spine.

‎One by one, every part of her body twisted unnaturally until only her head remained upright.

‎Then...

‎With one final snap—

‎Her head tore away from her body.

‎Blood sprayed across the uniforms of the students closest to her.

‎For a heartbeat...

‎Nobody reacted.

‎Then chaos erupted.

‎Students shoved one another in a desperate attempt to escape.

‎Some jumped over the pews.

‎Others tripped over fallen hymn books.

‎The church, once filled with prayers, was now filled with screams.

‎I couldn't bring myself to look away.

‎Something about the girl's face...

‎It felt familiar.

‎Then it hit me.

‎"Oh..."

‎My voice came out as little more than a whisper.

‎"It's Chidinma."

‎My stomach dropped.

‎Only a few hours ago, she'd been arguing over a bucket of water.

‎Now...

‎She was dead.

‎"IJ!"

‎Sola grabbed my wrist.

‎"How can you still look at that? Let's go!"

‎Her voice trembled.

‎She never once looked back at Chidinma's body.

‎I nodded numbly and allowed her to pull me through the church doors.

‎Outside, students huddled together in frightened groups.

‎Some cried openly.

‎Others stood in complete silence, staring at nothing.

‎No one knew what to say anymore.

‎Later that afternoon, the entire school gathered for an emergency assembly.

‎The principal stood on the podium, his expression calm despite everything that had happened.

‎"We regret to inform you that Chidinma's body has been returned to her family," he announced.

‎"Our staff have visited her parents to offer our condolences."

‎A murmur spread through the crowd.

‎"As for Mr. Samuel"—he gestured toward the male teacher—"he simply forgot to take his asthma medication this morning. He is currently receiving treatment and is in stable condition."

‎Simply?

‎I frowned.

‎There was nothing simple about what we'd witnessed.

‎The principal adjusted the microphone.

‎"We are carrying out a full investigation into Chidinma's unfortunate death."

‎His eyes swept across the students.

‎"Until then, no student is to contact their parents regarding today's incident."

‎Silence.

‎The words settled heavily over the assembly.

‎No phone calls.

‎No explanations.

‎No going home.

‎Something wasn't right.

‎And deep down...

‎I don't think any of us believed this was over.

‎